Apparatus for cleaning fabric



D66. 15, 1936. I J a SANDO 2,064,084

APPARATUS FOR CLEANING FABRIC Filed April 22, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet INVENTOR' JOSEPH B. SHNDO ATTORNEYS Dec. 15, 1936. J. B. SANDO 2, APPARATUS FOR CLEANING FABRIC Filed April 22, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet lNVjENTOR v JOSEPH B. smvno A TORNEYS Patented Dec. 15, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,064,084 APPARATUS FOR CLEANING FABRIC Application April 22, 1931, Serial No. 531,918 l 2 Claims.

My invention relates to apparatus for cleaning fabric, and, particularly, to the drying and deodorizing apparatus forming apart thereof.

In treating fabric with a volatile detergent,

and especially one having a low boiling point, it

is desirable to prevent loss of the detergent by evaporation, hence, a closed system is preferably provided. Ordinarily, after the treating medium or detergent is drained from the fabric being treated and as a part of the cleaning operation, the fabric is dried in such closed systems by employing a fan to force hot air through a circuit including an air heater, the treating compartment containing the fabric, and a condenser. By this method, the circulating heated air picks up and carries the detergent from the fabric to the condenser in vapor form where it is condensed to liquid form and then drained oil to any desired point. With this method, all detergent is entirely removed from the fabric.

It is one object of-my invention to'provide an improved means for removing all detergent from the fabric undergoing treatment in a short period of time comprising an apparatus whereby only that portion of the heated air which is most saturated with the detergent passes through the condenser, the balance or major portion of the heated air not entering the condenser and not being cooled thereby but passing in its partially saturated condition into the air heater wherein it is reheated before passing again through the treating compartment containing the fabric whereby it absorbs additional vaporsand more nearly approaches saturation, In this manner, a great deal of the heat usually necessary forheating the circulating air is conserved since all of the air is not cooled by the condenser and absorption and condensation of the detergent vapors is more rapid which results in drying the fabric in considerable less time. I accomplish this object by connectingthe condenser in parallel with the circuit through the fan, air heater and' treating compartment.

Another object of my invention is to provide a means that takes the form of a suitable valve orshut off damper provided at or adjacent the condenser intake and in the condenser circuit so that the condenser can be cut out of the normal air circulating circuit entirely for any desired period of time whereby the air may be passed through the heater and through the fabric treating compartment repeatedly to become thoroughly saturated with the volatile detergent beforea part thereof is allowed to pass through the condenser for the removal of detergent liquid by condensation.

Various other objects and advantageous fea-- tures of my invention will be seen in the following description and one embodiment thereof may 5' be seen in the accompanying drawings wherein similar characters of reference designate corresponding parts, and wherein: Y

Fig. 1 is an end elevation of a fabric treating apparatus embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a 10 diagrammatical view of the apparatus; and Fig.

3 is a diagrammatical view showing a modified arrangement of parts.

Referring to the drawings, I have shown a washer or treating compartment adapted to re-lii ceive fabric to be treated with a fabric treating medium or detergent, and a drying-and deodorizing apparatus, mounted on a suitable frame I which has the lower ends of its legs 2 supported on I-beams 3. .The apparatus con- 20 sists of a treating compartment 4 having the usual rotatable drum therein connected to a sump tank 5 by means of a drain pipe 6 under the control of avalve I, the treating'compartment 4 being provided with a door 8 that maybe tightly 25 sealed. A fan 9 driven by a motor I0 is mounted on the upper part of the frame I and has its intake end connected to the upper side of the treating compartment 4 by 'meansof a suitable conduit H'. The fan discharge is connected to an 30 air heater H by means of a conduit I3 and'the air discharge of the air heater I2 is connected to the treating compartment 4 by means of a conduit l4. Obviously, when the fan 9 is in operation, air will be forced continuously through the 35 circuit from the treating compartment 4, through conduit ll, through fan 9, through conduit I3, through air heater 12, through conduit l4, and thence again to and through the treating compartment 4. 7

Suitable air valves l5 and I6 are provided at convenient places in the various parts of the air circulating system and are operable simultaneously by a single means and normally held in the full line position, shown in Fig. 2, by spring 46 means (not shown). After the drying operation just described, the 'air valves l5 and I6 are moved to the dotted line position wherein the valve I5 will close off the intake to the heater l2 and] .IQQ pheric air through the treated goods is continued until the goods are thoroughly deodorized after which they are moved from the treating compartment 4 and a fresh batch of goods introduced therein.

In accordance with my invention, a condenser I8 is interconnected in parallel with the air circulating circuit just described by being connected with the conduit II and the conduit M by means of a conduit l9 which connects the intake of the condenser with the conduit II and the conduit 20 which connects the discharge of the condenser with the conduit I4. As shown, a fan 2| is disposed in the conduit 20 and has its intake side connected to the discharge of the condenser l8 by a short conduit 22. Thus, when the fan 2| is in operation, a portion of the air circulating in the drying circuit hereinbefore described will be drawn in through the conduit I9, through the condenser l8 wherein the detergent in vapor form is transformed into liquid form, through the conduit 22, through fan 2|, and, then discharged through conduit 20 into 'conduit M where it enters the circuit of air hereinbefore described and travels through the treating compartment 4 therewith.

With this construction, the more saturated heated air passing through the horizontal portion of the conduit II will normally pass along the lower side of that portion of the conduit due to the force of gravity and, since the conduit opening leading to conduit I9 is in the lower side of that portion of the conduit ii, of course, the most saturated air will pass into the conduit [9 and thence through the condenser |8 as above described, the detergent being removed from thesaturated hot air by condensation and the condensed detergent flowing to the sump tank 5 through the conduit 23. A damper or shut-off valve 24 is provided at the junction of conduits H and I9 to either close off the circulation through the condenser l8 if desired or partially close ofi the circulation and thereby regulate the amount of saturated air drawn through the condenser |8 by the fan 2|.

In the operation of this apparatus, referring to Fig. 2, a batch of goods together with a suitable quantity of volatile detergent is placed in the treating compartment 4 and the goods treated until they are ready for the drying operation. Then, the valves l5 and I6 being in the full e position shown and the valve 24 being in open position as shown, the fans 9 and 2| are started in operation whereby a circuit of air will be created from the fan 9 to and through the air heater l2, to and through the treating compartment 4, and thence back to the fan. During the travel of the heated air through the treating compartment 4, the air becomes saturated with the volatile detergent and the saturated air is drawn into the condenser |8 by operation of the fan 2| wherein the volatile detergent is condensed out and passes to the sump tank 5 through the conduit 23 while the air from the discharge side of the fan 2| passes into the conduit l4 and is combined with the stream of heated air coming from the air heater l2. This operation is continued until all of the volatile detergent has been removed from the goods in the treating compartment whereupon the valves l5 and I6 are moved to the position shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 2 whereby the fan 9 will draw atmospheric or room air through the port in the conduit |4 controlled by the valve l6, through the treating compartment 4 and to and through the fan, and then discharge theair to the atmosphere again through |8 through the air heater |2 before it passes intothe air circuit traveling through the treating.

compartment 4 and, as shown in Fig. 3, this may be accomplished by connecting the conduit 20 with the air heater l2 instead of with the conduit M. In such an arrangement, suitable valve control means 23 are provided for switching the air stream from the fan 2| from one conduit to theother.

With the above construction, I have provided a method and apparatus for treating fabric, and particularly an apparatus for'drying and deodorizing fabric embodying numerous advantageous features. For instance, I have provided a means for drying the fabric and removing volatile deter gent from the circulating drying air wherein the condensing circuit is separate and apart from the heated air circuit, such circuit being in parallel therewith. The apparatus is so constructed that the condensing means may be entirely cut oil as an operative part of the apparatus until the heated circulating air has been circulated through the fabric being treated for such a time as to become almost completely saturated with detergent. Further, the detergent separating means being separate and apart from the heated air circuit or in parallel therewith conserves the heat used to a great extent in that only a part of the heated air, that which is most highly saturated, passes through the condensing means wherein it becomes cooled while the remainder of the heated air which is saturated to a lesser degree passes again through the air heater and fabric treating compartmentwithout being cooled. Means have been provided for regulating the amount of treating medium laden air that is taken from the main drying circuit. Various other advantageous features will be readily apparent.

What I claim is:

1. Apparatus of the character described, comprising a fabric treating compartment wherein the work is subjected to a volatile treating medium, means for drying the work in said compartment including a fan and an air heater freely communicating in series with each other and with saidv treating compartment to provide a closed heated air circuit through said compartment and thereby vaporize treating medium from the work, and means for recovering the vapor- .ized treating medium from the circulated air,

including a fan and a condenser communicating in series with each other in a secondary circuit the work is subjected to a volatile treating med-' ium, means for drying the work in said compartment including a fan and an air heater freely 1 said secondary circuit and its condenser being communicating in series with each other and with said treating compartment, to provide a closed heated air circuit through saidcompartment and thereby vaporize treating medium from the work,

and means for recovering the vaporized treating medium from thecirculated air, including a fan and a condenser communicating :in series with {each other in a secondary circuit in shunt around said first named fan and air heater, the inlet to at the bottom of the main air-stream at the junction between said circuits, and valve means at "said iunctionadiustable to various positions to control vthe relative quantity of air flowin through the twocircuits and also to a position in which all flow through the secondary circuit is shut oii.

, I 1 JOSEPH'B. SANDO. 

